New nutrition labels: Because we’re eating the entire bag of chips

First Lady Michelle Obama and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Margaret Hamburg announced Thursday that they are working to make nutrition labels more helpful to consumers who want to make healthier eating choices.

Ever notice how an individual bag of chips will list the amount of calories per single serving, but not the amount for the entire bag? Chances are, you’re going to finish the bag, and the new proposed nutrition labels will reflect that, with calorie information for the amount people will realistically eat.

“To remain relevant, the FDA’s newly proposed Nutrition Facts label incorporates the latest in nutrition science as more has been learned about the connection between what we eat and the development of serious chronic diseases impacting millions of Americans,” Hamburg said in a statement.

In addition to an updated serving size and calorie listing, other proposed updates include a new design to highlight calories and other important parts of the label, and the inclusion of “added sugars” if a product contains added sugars to let consumers know how much sugar they are actually getting.

The suggested daily value of sodium intake will also be decreased slightly from 2,400 mg to 2,300 mg. New labels would also remove suggested daily values of vitamins A and C. The FDA lists deficiencies of these two vitamins as relatively low and will replace them with Vitamin D and potassium.

“Our guiding principle here is very simple: that you as a parent and a consumer should be able to walk into your local grocery store, pick up an item off the shelf, and be able to tell whether it’s good for your family,” said First Lady Michelle Obama in a statement, who is making the updates part of her ongoing Let’s Move campaign. “So this is a big deal, and it’s going to make a big difference for families all across this country.”

If approved, these will be the first significant updates to the Nutrition Fact labels since 2006, when companies were required to list trans fats. The FDA believes these changes could alter the way certain products are made.

“The label may encourage manufacturers to reformulate existing products and offer new products with a healthier nutrition profile,” reads the FDA report on label regulations. “The food industry has introduced thousands of new product choices with fewer calories, reduced fat, sodium and sugar, and more whole grains since the Nutrition Facts Label requirement was implemented.”

The public is invited to comment on the updates for 90 days. Manufacturers will have a little more than two years to comply with any final label requirements.

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